Published: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Titan Books
Series: Warlock Holmes #1
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Pages: 336 (Paperback)
My Rating: 2.5/5.0
Synopsis:
Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes.
Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.
An imaginative, irreverent and addictive reimagining of the world’s favourite detective, Warlock Holmes retains the charm, tone and feel of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while finally giving the flat at 221b Baker Street what it’s been missing for all these years: an alchemy table.
Reimagining six stories, this riotous mash-up is a glorious new take on the ever-popular Sherlock Holmes myth, featuring the vampire Inspector Vladislav Lestrade, the ogre Inspector Torg Grogsson, and Dr. Watson, the true detective at 221b. And Sherlock. A warlock.
I’m not really sure what to say about this book… it was definitely quite the interpretation of the usual Holmes and Watson duo. Rather than Sherlock being the brains of the operation, he is instead a mad warlock who isn’t all that bright. Watson is much cleverer (or is it just common sense?) and proceeds to guide Warlock through a number of cases. It was rather unusual.
Another interesting thing is that this, much like the actual Sherlock Holmes stories, is not a single novel, but rather a collection of short stories. I had a hard time getting immersed in the stories and kept getting distracted, so it definitely wasn’t the most engaging book I’ve ever read. The stories weird and at times kind of funny – especially the wild west donut flashback, but this book just wasn’t hitting the right notes with me.
I thought this was a unique retelling, though it just wasn’t for me. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood for this type of book, but I didn’t think it was particularly funny and couldn’t wait for it to end. I’ve definitely read some Sherlock retelling that I enjoyed more and will definitely find more to check out in the future, but I’ll be avoiding the rest of this series. I’ve seen plenty of positive reviews for this book, so please check those out before you make a decision based solely on my review!
Powder & Page 
The humor really seems to be the tipping point, one way or the other, for most of the people whose reviews I’ve read. I am REALLY hoping it works in my favor when I get around to these 😀
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I hope it works out for you!
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I know some readers who love this book, but hey, you can’t love everything! Also, I’m very picky about humor, it would really need to be just right for me personally.
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Humor is so unique to each person and if a funny book doesn’t jive with my humor it’s such a bummer!
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I personally loved this series (and I think each book just gets better and better), but I can totally understand how someone might need to be in the right mood for it, especially since the retelling is so unique and the format is surprising (but I actually liked the shorter story structure within the larger narrative). Awesome review, though! 🙂
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Most people do seem to enjoy it, so I’m definitely the odd one out. We like what we like :p
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Exactly! And we should never be afraid to say so!
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